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East Africa’s Fish Trade Expansion Puts Safer Markets on the Agenda
A three-country fisheries assessment links safer markets and reporting channels to plans for greater trade and opportunities for women and young people.
Monday 26th October 2026
By inAfrika Newsroom
East African manufacturers are pressing for more predictable trade rules, affordable finance and reliable supplies of inputs as they seek a larger share of regional consumer markets. A Dar es Salaam dialogue on 22–23 October examined the leather, textiles and edible oils industries, connecting industrial policy with the practical constraints facing factories.
The East African Business Council’s preparatory programme identified raw materials, technology, skills, energy and regional trade instruments as areas for discussion. It also set out the dates for the public–private dialogue with the African Development Bank.
The Citizen’s 23 October report says the meeting brought together 65 representatives. Figures presented there put annual regional hides and skins production at about 370,000 tonnes, alongside USD 566 million in footwear, parts and leather-goods imports during 2025.
The same report cites USD 3.24 billion in textile, apparel and used-clothing imports, compared with roughly USD 970 million in exports. These figures describe different product groupings and should not be combined into a single measure of factory competitiveness.
InAfrika’s assessment is that domestic raw materials do not automatically create a competitive finished product. Manufacturers still need consistent quality, dependable delivery, appropriate machinery and buyers willing to place repeat orders; a policy response therefore needs to address the chain between farms and the finished goods market.
The financing question is also more specific than whether banks have money available. A factory may need working capital for seasonal inputs as well as longer-term funding for equipment, and those needs operate on different repayment cycles.
The dialogue provides industrial context for the upcoming Kigali EAC trade fair, but the two events serve different purposes. The next useful evidence will be named policy actions, implementation dates and measurable improvements in production conditions rather than a further statement of ambition.
